Seven Deadly Sins: Reformation
by The Wizard of Runes
Summary: (SYOC, All Sins taken. Can submit Holy Knights) Over 2000 years since the end of the Holy War, and events of the anime, and now the entire realm...the entire world...is once again on the verge of darkness. But...are our heroes really heroes this time? Are they villains? Can they be trusted? Or could one of them be a traitor? The story unfolds within!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Arrival**

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**AN:** Hero everyone! I am here to say, come and check out my Discord server! Its for all of us who like to make OCs, write and read fantastic stories, and such. When you go to Discord, and go to Join Server, just type this super awesome code in! (Let me know if its somehow expired) fEgZVXn

Backup just in case: 38kcHNT

* * *

A long time ago, seven warriors rose up to face the darkness...to defeat the beings that threatened all of mankind. Seven Legendary Heroes, known as the Seven Deadly Sins, ultimate criminals who became ultimate heroes, saved all life, and who took to be the vanguards. Various stories had spread about them over the years, with various variations and tails. Many spoke of them being criminals and traitors, others spoke of them as victims and heroes. But all knew for a fact that they were powerful, and they helped save the world.

However, now a dangerous threat is returning to the land. Something is coming, something has come. And in the corners, in the shadows of everything, there are plots emerging by various people. To take power. To take vengence. To take advantage.

And so, they hatched a plan. Seven powerful but expendable criminals, scattered across the realm. With various different backgrounds, and from various different races. And they went out, to search for those villains...those heroes.

"Are you sure that they are correct about this one?"

"Yes. It appears he cannot die, but he caused one of the greatest disasters of all time. Hundreds of people died, and he was found to be the cause of it all. From what we understand, he could have stopped it, if he had been attentive".

"What are they saying exactly?"

"Supposedly, he disrupted the Sacred Shrine, and was punished with the task of repairing it. However, not only did he not make any real effort into repairing it, he didn't try a simple resealing method made available, and allowed a disasterous poison aura to leak out and flood a section of town, resulting in heavy casualties".

"He denied all participation in it himself, but he had no alibi and he was known not to go to various religous gatherings. As punishment for tarnishing their ways, they have made him stand judgement in the town square, under constant public humiliation until he dies".

"What does that mean exactly?"

"Sir, the town square is ahead".

WIth that voice, the group looked out of the carriage. It seemed that, in the center, there was this great and majestic fountain that sparkled and was beautiful. However, there was something...or rather, someone who was in front of it. He appeared to be a young boy, with his arms shackled to a very short wooden cross. Short enough that even the short boy was able to sit, however he was totally incapable of moving his hands thanks to the shackles. Furthermore, he was completely naked, with a brand mark right on his body in the front, below the waist.

"It seemed they spared no time in doing our work for us" he said as they got out. As they took more steps closer, the white haired boy seemed to take notice of him. Indeed, the only thing he was wearing was what appeared to be a collar around his neck, with a tag on it. Furthermore, the symbol of his sin, the Grizzly Sin of Sloth, had been branded right where they had head, right below the waist on his body. However, his body seemed perfectly clean somehow. "Boy...you seem remarkably clean and well fed for someone in your position".

"...its part of my punishment" the boy muttered with a blush. "These shackles drain me of my power, and make it so that I am helpless as they give me baths and feed me. I might as well be a pet".

"I see. I suppose in that regard, my offer is pretty much the same. Tell me, how would you like to be a pet for the Holy Knights?"

"...huh?"

"A great darkness is approaching. I have felt it, I have seen it. And it will require the greatest warriors, who we can send into dangerous situations. Powerful, but expendable. And...I assume that magic power I feel inside of you is no mere mistake".

"Can I...finally wear some clothes?"

"Haha...of course. You would be able to wear them regularly".

"And it pays well...and I get to eat good food?"

"Indeed".

"Then...alright. I will come with" the boy mentioned. The man quickly drew his sword in an instant, so fast the boy could barely track its movement. And no one else around could even do that. And then, the metal in his shackles suddenly fell apart as they had been cut open.

"Well then, I suppose we should get you dressed then. A proper Holy Knight cant fight naked after all!"

"Yes!" replied Azarel, the Feline Sin of Sloth.

* * *

Role: The Feline Sin of Sloth

Name: Azarel

Nicknames: Lazy, Kitten, Azakat

Age: Unknown

Race: Unknown

Magical Power: Spirit. Allows him to imbue his spirit into objects to control them, and charge it up in his own body to increase his physical abilities. He can also perform pure Spirit attacks, and he draws his attack ability not from physical or magical power, but spirit power. If he uses a large amount of it, blue "spirit" lightning may end up appearing, and he can even use that to attack.

Stats: Physical power is at 100, Magical Power is at 200, Spirit Power is 9,000 Currently. (Though he cannot fully manifest his power)

Physical Appearance: Azarel appears to be a small ten year old boy, with white hair and red eyes. Without any clothes, he appears lean and lanky, with absolutley no physical ability. He looks precious, adorable, and cute, but nothing that would indicate he is or was a Holy Knight. Furthermore, his brand is located right below/on the waist in front of his body, in order to further punish him for his crime. It should be noted that as a result, he hates to show anyone his brand.

Outfits: As a Holy Knight, Azarel wore blue metal armor that covered his entire body, but mostly for formal occasions. Due to his punishments, he hates the idea of wearing metal, and as such will do anything to get out of formal events (again giving him reason to be called Sloth), and slacked off of them whenever possible. Therefore, his casual clothes are far more comfy while also providing protection. it involves a long sleeved pink cover shirt/fleese, a white collared shirt underneath, and black shorts and boots. It entirely looks like a schoolboy uniform. All of his more casual clothing boasts a higher defense then metal armor, and each has a special purpose. His red tie will intercept and stop beheading attacks he cannot dodge, his cover shirt reflects physical melee damage dealt to it back at the attacker. His white shirt provides temperature resistance and adjustment. His shorts possess pockets with unlimited space, and an ability for him to summon objects out of them (though it sometimes requires a bit of rummaging depending on how long it has been in there).

He also has a few other looks, from one of him wearing a blue raincoat, white T shirt, blue shorts, and blue rainboots, to him wearing a blue jacket, white sleeveless shirt, blue shorts, and blue combat boots.

IT should be noted Azarel had a tendency to change away from everyone else, until finally he was repeatedly dragged into the baths with them. Indeed, only his comrades learned where his brand was after they finally did that.

For sleeping, he wears a large nightgown that goes down to his knees, and a nightcap. Unless he thinks combat is likely, in which case then he will wear some shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

Weapons: His Sacred Treasure is the Spirit Weapon Chroma. Chroma's ability allows it to take multiple different forms and shapes and be controlled at will by Azarel. It has various simularities with the Spirit Spear used by King, but also differences. For one thing, it can take up to multiple forms, and can even take two forms at the same time at least. It also has no connection to the Fairy King's Realm or the Sacred Tree. However, it still has various uses and forms.

1st Form: Spear: A Spear that can be controlled remotely. Note that the weight in the 2nd Form applies to it as well.

2nd Form: Sword: A sword that he wields, however it also lets him summon multiple other blades that float in the air and can attack multiple targets. Notably, the sword he uses is so large its actually bigger then him, but due to being his spirit weapon, he feels none of the weight. Should someone else try to pick it up, they would be unable to unless they at least had over 3000 strength.

3rd Form: Spirit Orbs: A few orbs fly around him and deliver attacks at ranged for him. He can move them at will.

4th Form: Shields: Two shields are created on him, one for each arm, which he can use to block attacks.

5th Form: Realm: Possibly the most powerful form his weapon is capable, it creates a Realm around them, under his direct control. Everything within the realm is likely to be used against his enemies, and his abilities are boosted while inside. There are multiple issues with this power though, such as the fact if he or the Realm's boundary takes too many hits, it will collapse. It can be collapsed from the outside, though it is harder.

6th Form: Overcharge: The weapon fuses with his body, overcharging it. All of his abilities are boosted massively, but it effectively makes him without a weapon. No other forms can be used with this form active. His body radiates with spirit energy, and some consider this more dangerous then Realm. However, as there are draw backs, such as putting himself in harms way more, not all agree.

7th Form: Elemental Barrage: He unleashes a powerful array of elemental attacks that causes severe damage and destruction.

8th Form: Blanket: It becomes a blanket with extreme endurance and resistance abilities, allowing him to protect and cover himself.

9th Form: Laser Orb: An orb that fires out energy beams that can bend around objects as they head towards a person or target.

10th Form: Chain Swarm: He brings forth a massive amount of chains to attack enemies, save allies, and bind whatever he needs to. He can also infuse certain chains with certain properties.

History: (Already explained, but it should be noted he has not aged a day since the incident)

Personality: Although he can seem a bit shy at first, once you get him into a fight he tends to go all out. Normally, he might try to avoid bothersome things, but once you do get him involved he is going to try and end it as quickly as possible. He can be embarrassed easily, and other people love to do so to him. However, he also has a natural charisma, and the way he carries himself people seem to understand he is older then he looks. This causes a lot of weirdos and perverts to go after him as well, which is never really pleasant.

However, despite all this, he tries to keep his mind collected and his will strong. He does have a tendency to overreact some times, and blushes easily, but he can be a loyal, strong willed person when the need arises.

Theme Song: Might have others, but...Perfect Time. From the Seven Deadly Sins. :3

Other: Put stuff I didn't give a section for here! Like "He gets super embarrassed if people ask to see his brand" maybe or such!

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Notes: I have been seeing unrealistically tall characters lately, so everyone...dont do that! The shorter, the better! Got it people? Good!

Also, be reasonable and balanced!

And finally, remember to make sure your sin and animal fit your character!


	2. Chapter 2: Waking the Cat

**Chapter 2: Waking the Cat**

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**AN:** Fair warning, lots of awesomeness and silliness ahead. This is only the start, so just wait till we get to the big epic stuff!

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Eight years ago...

"What...what happened here?"

A young knight asked that as he looked around, at all the destruction and carnage. Thousands of knights butchered, others wounded, it was horrific.

And as he was coming too, he himself noticed that there was a major issue. He himself was missing a leg.

"How did...huh...AAHHHHHHHG!"

"D...daddy?!" a young girl screamed as she saw what was happening before her. She appeared only eight years old, and yet she was here. However, it only made sense. After all, she lived in this city...in a house nearby, because her father, the one before her, was a Holy Knight.

With her scream, other healers noticed he was still alive and came to his aid. They began using magic to seal the wound on his leg and save his life, while another Holy Knight came to his aid as well.

"What happened, Atellio? Atellio?!"

"Gi...Gira...you are alright?"

"Yes daddy! What happened! What happened to your leg!?"

"I...I dont remember..."

One of the clerics, a Holyman who is a member of the Church, looked over at the tower.

"I saw it happen, from a distance...it was...the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"What?!" the man said, shocked as he coughed up blood. "What about the Holy Knight Commander, Harozen?"

"...he was found murdered, in a most brutal way. It could...it could only be those criminals!"

"Daddy!" Gira shouted, full of fear and shock.

"Let me...heal me, and let me get to work!"

"Atellio...its already too late for this wound...you...you wont be able to become a Holy Knight again".

"...just...what happened here..."

* * *

And so, a Royal Decree was issued. Wanted posters were made, depicting the ones known to this era as the Seven Deadly Sins, which called for their arrest...or execution.

Word spread throughout the capital, and then the kingdom, and then the entire lands. Even to the farthest northern coastal tips, to the southern beaches, to the tops of the Regalith Mountains, to the bottoms of Rezden Valley. Spread by the followers of The Church, word quickly spread of their treachery. How they murdered the one who was trying to reform them, Commander Harozen, in fear of being sent back to where they came from. In greed, for some attempt at a power play. In Envy, for how great and popular he was. In wraith, for feeling like the world conspired against htem. In Pride, for how they believed to be better then everyone else. In lust, for wanting to do whatever they want and not be restricted. In gluttony, for wanting to satisfy their every desire and indulgence. And in sloth, for not wanting to be forced to work by someone else's hand. They were branded as having done it for every sin in the book.

And thus, eight years passed without a single one of them having ever been captured or killed.

* * *

"I am definently right this time" a young boy declared, as he looked out over the cliff at the region below. "I know it. A member of the Seven Deadly Sins is definently here".

The young boy was not some normal boy however, but one of the Beastkin races. To be exact, he was a Wolfkin, with Wolf Ears on his head and a Wolf Tail, as well as the characteristic small framed body. He had a sword at his waist however, in a rather nice sheath, as well as a cloak to help hide his features. He looked rather young, around 10 or 11 years of age to be out in the woods on his own, but he was determined to succeed. He was also wearing black boots that went with his grey hair, and his silver eyes shined with energy along with his gloves.

He was determined to find all of the Seven Deadly Sins. And he was sure he had found the right city this time.

Of course, he said the exact same thing about the last five cities he entered, but he looked at his compass and was sure of it this time. Ignoring the fact such as compasses point north and not towards a target normally, or anything like that. He could just sense it. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a gemstone, admiring it.

"For sure. I will succeed" he declared to himself, putting the light green gem in his pocket and heading down the side of the cliff.

* * *

**Shaltir City:**

Population: About 30,000.

Owned By: Lord Dawngate

Known For: Being a center of trade, providing the Kingdom with ample amounts of soldiers and criminal slave labor.

Rumors of: Corruption, Serial Kidnappings, Major Prostitution Rings

Location: Northern Hills

* * *

"Name for the entrance registry please?"

"Zayler" the boy replied. The man just made a little note along with the name, signaled the other guard, and then let the boy be on his way without any hassle.

Maybe it looked a bit weird, him being around on his own, but he as not really drawing any attention so he was getting by just fine.

The city seemed rather lively, though there did seem to be some dark tones to it and some despair. As if there was this feeling in the air, that something was wrong, but no one knew what. At least, most people didn't. But Zayler had a keen eye, and some good judgement for his age. Hence why he was able to travel alone. So with that in mind, he decided to move forward.

Finding a lead would be difficult though, so he considered looking for an Inn to stay in first.

"Hey! Hey boyo! Are you looking for a room! We recently just got a vacancy, if you want it!" this one guy called out, apparently some promoter for an inn on the main street. "We got drinks and such too!"

An inn that was also a tavern. Zayler had to consider this place might be a good place to get information on who he was looking for. Something did seem strange, but that might have been some of the looks he was getting as a cloaked, hooded newcomer. The man seemed honest and nice enough though, so he thought it would be good to get away from the streets.

He decided to enter, and immediately afterwards, he was called over by a woman who appeared to be manning the bar. As he did, she poured him a glass of water in front of an empty seat.

"Hello sweetie, you here a for a room? Its just a few coins, but this is a complimentry glass of water, on the house. And if you want information, its double the price".

Hearing that, he smiled. As he thought, it appeared this place was a source of gossip. Therefore, he paid double, and made his inquiry".

"A little under eight years ago, I heard there was some massive battle that occured as the result of some unknown forces. I was wondering, if anyone notable had arrived shortly after that".

"Its been a long time since I heard a question like that. The answers might take some time" she told him as he took a drink of water. "How about this, you wait up in your room, and let me hear around. I can let you know what I find when we ready the bath water".

"Ah, thank you" he said as he finished the glass, and then headed towards the room. He was starting to feel a bit tired anyways, maybe mental exhaustion of finally finishing a long trip. Either way, it would be nice to get out of his clothes and lounge around, and even more so to have a proper bath.

However, as he entered the room, the drowsiness seemed to be coming on stronger and stronger. He had known about mental exhaustion, and also knew he might be a bit tired, but he had slept on his blanket in his cave a good amount of time last night, and he knew he shouldn't be this drowsy.

But before he could think anymore, he collapsed in his room.

The next thing he knew, cold water was splashed over his whole body. He felt cold all over, but his instictive desire to shiver and hold himself in his arms was prevented. His arms were bound in chains behind his back, and then chained to a metal ring on the floor, which made him unable to stand up and remain on his knees. His entire body was naked also, as someone had stripped him in his sleep, and now there were two women giggling as they bathed him in this position with sponges, rags, and hands. Furthermore, there were three individuals watching him from across the room, all of which made his face turn bright red. He also felt a collar around his neck that felt weird.

The three people in question was a man who looked like he was a mage, that he did not know. But the other two were the promoter and the barkeeper.

"As always, Tayrn. Your Magical Power, Charm, worked wonders for us" the mage said. "He will make us a great deal of money with our more...particular...clients".

"Indeed" the woman said in an exotic voice, coming over to Zayler as he was bathed and stroked his ears, turning his face more and more red.

"Wh...what did you do to me?! What is going on here?"

"Oh, you poor niave little boy. Isn't it obvious? You are now our product, for our customers. You would not believe just how peculiar our more powerful client's tastes can be, or how strange" she said as she stroked his back.

"What?! No! You can't..." he started, only for her to whack his behind.

"Oh yes, try to stay all pure and embarrassed and defiant. It tends to make the clients enjoy our service even more. If it makes you feel better, most requests are far more innocent or different then one would expect. Most of them, anyways".

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and snapped her fingers. The two women quickly started to dry him off, though they pouted for a moment.

"For example, take those two. They have this fetish about bathing younger boys who cannot do it themselves. So we provide them that service. And we needed you cleaned up before we can use you as product. Argeyn? Move him to the storage room with the other boy. Oh, and dearie, don't do anything stupid. The more money you make us, the better we treat you".

With that said, Argeyn raised his hand, and snapped his fingers.

Eventually, after a bit of tests and odd encounters, Zayler finally was brought to storage. He had become far more aware at just how many diverse fetishes there were, but it seemed now he was brought to a room and placed on a bed on his stomach. His wrists were shackled to the front bedposts, and his ankles shackled to the back ones. However, he was not alone...

_COuld it...no, he has black hair...but maybe he knows something!_

At first, he thought for a moment he might be one of the Seven Deadly Sins he was looking for, but he could see the boy did not match the wanted posters.

"...oh, you are not him".

The boy seemed to notice him, and replied drowsily. Now that he was moving, he could see the boy was a Beastkin like himself.

"Him? Who is him?"

"...the one they sometimes bring in here. He was always rebellious, so they had to use lots of drugs on him. Though he always felt...lacking...in real motivation".

_That...that must be him! One of them!_

"Do you know where he might be?"

"...it doesn't matter. If you end up here, it meant you were alone. Or neglected. Or sold off. Not much to go out for..."

"But, you can't just submit!" Zayler exclaimed, as he tried to struggle out of his shackles.

"...those are made of metal you know. There is no way you can break them..."

"I will show you! I wont give up!"

The boy just sighed.

"...even after the introduction? Haven't they crushed your spirit yet?"

"Ha! I only let them think that happened. I wont allow this!"

"...well, good luck...don't blame me if they kill you..."

"Hey! You still have a lot of time left too! Why not break out with me? Its not hopeless! I wont let them treat me like this, and neither should you!"

The boy just gave him a sort of soulless, blank gaze.

"...what is the point? I have no one. I am here because no one cares about me. No one likes me. No one believes in me. I am here because this body of mine was the only useful thing I could do, so I have nowhere else to go".

As the boy sighed, Zayler got a bit annoyed at his attitude...and spit with enough force to get it to land on his back, causing him to actually take a look at him.

"...I suppose we are the same in that regard, at least".

"Hey!" Zayler said. "I will not give up! And I wont let you give up either! I came here to do something, and I will do it!"

"...but if you are here, isn't it pointless? You wont be able to escape...you wont be able to do whatever you plan to do...what was it anyways?"

At that moment, Taryn walked in with a smug smile.

"My guess is...that lazy brat plans to clear his name, and save the Kingdom".

"...clear his name...and save the Kingdom?" the boy asked, with some genuine interest this time, if only barely.

"Tsk...I was wondering if even in this situation, I could hide who I was" the boy mentioned. Suddenly, magic power seemed to flow from him in a shocking and surprising fashion, as two blades made of what appeared to be energy, magic power, appeared in his hands and allowed him to cut through the chains".

He then quickly moved and cut through the chains on his legs.

"Its just as I thought...you are that one, the famously lazy one...normally those who I use my magic power on are more enthralled, but it felt like you still had at least some independence left".

"...are you really going to fight naked?"

"Does it look like I have the time to put on armor?! Or any armor to put on anyways?!"

"Its just as I thought, it is you! The orders are to either capture or kill you...we could make a lot of money to help bribe officials if we turn you in. And you should still have plenty of drugs in you keeping you weak! Honestly, unless you want to die, you should just surrender".

"...it sounds like no one believes in you...you shouldn't die needlessly".

"No! I wont just surrender! I admit, maybe I was lazy before...but I am tired of getting walked on, of people taking advantage of that!" Zayler announced.

"But even if someone thought about looking for you, we already erased your name from the registry".

"Yeah, well, as we know that was not my real name anyways!"

"...this seems really stupid and pointless".

"And you! You should not give up! I promise" Zayler announced, looking back at Taryn who raised his sword in a threatening way. "I will prove everyone wrong! I will save everyone!"

"...but...if waht he said is true, and no one believes in you...what is the point?"

"Because I will reunite the Seven Deadly Sins is why!"

Taryn was hoping he would just exhaust himself, but it seemed that Zayler was being stubborn.

"And I know the comrade I look for is right here, I am sure of it!"

"...you are looking for someone no one believes in? When no one believes in you?"

"It does not matter if no one believes what you say, or if it seems hopeless, or if you are hated! So long as there is a tomorrow, so long as you believe in something, or know that something is out there that you can make right, or fufill your dreams, even someone lazy like me will act!"

"...lazy? You dont seem lazy...just who are you?"

Suddenly, he combined his two hands together, and created a large sword of light. He had an impressive amount of magic power.

"I was someone who was essentially lazy, and let things happen. I was blamed for something unjustly...but, just because someone might be a Sloth, does not mean they dont have desires or things they believe in! I wont ever return to that!"

"Ha! You are all bark, and no bite!"

"...you are provoking answers out of me a lot...you should focus on the fight..."

"Sorry, I just saw a bit of myself in you was all, and wanted to knock some sense into you" Zayler said with a smile, as he stared his opponent down. However, that was when the mage teleported himself behind Zayler.

"Good night, boyo".

"Nice try...but I wont give up that easily!"

As the mage and Taryn both went and attacked Zayler at once, he began to focus all of the magic power he could because...

* * *

The Seven Deadly Sins Captain, the Feline Sin of Sloth, could not lay back after something like this...

* * *

...and then, both of them were knocked back. But not by Zayler, but by the other black haired boy. And yet in that instant, the boy's hair turned white, and his eyes went from a soulless black to a red. And right there, at his waist...was the Brand of the Feline Sin of Sloth. Azarel.

With that entrance, he yawned a little.

"Its been awhile...since someone was able to wake me up fully" Azarel mentioned, as his concealment was now broken.

"Impossible...waht happened to that boy..."

"Now that I am awake, I must admit I am annoyed. People like you guys who take advantage of others like this? You make me sick...sick enough to really stir me into action.

Azarel did a few stretches as he said that, and then he looked at Zayler.

"...you look familiar..."

"Well I should! My true identity is the Second Prince of Danastar, Zaylen!"

"You made your alias your name with only one letter changed? Heh, no wonder I felt you were being honest. You really are lazy" Azarel said, as he held out an open arm towards the door. In an instant, a blanket seemed to fly right towards them at top speed, and wrapped the two of them up together in a caccoon.

And at that moment, it finally sank in.

"W-w-w-wait...so...so you really were...but that cant be! You look so young! And I heard you were a normal human!"

"Its a long story" he said, as a spear emerged from the blanket. "First though, we need to deal with these two".

"I wont let this happen!"

"Two pronged attack!"

The two attacked from opposite directions again.

"Chroma, First Form Duplicate: Spear".

Suddenly, a spear appeared from the blanket and deflected the mage's attack upward, causing massive damage to the building, while the blanket was totally unphased by the knights attack. It was then the prince realized the awkward situation he was kind of in, but given it was keeping him safe and working, he decided to appreciate it.

"Chroma, Second Form Duplicate: Swords" he announced as he managed to step out of the blanket himself, a sword appearing in his hands as the others began to cause widespread destruction across the entire building, and knock enemies into walls. Meanwhile, he himself gripped his sword, and slashed it forward over a collapsed Taryn. As a result, the hallway, and every door that was holding their "product" was cut open, while no one was actually harmed. The swords then severed all the chains holding them hostage, while also cutting a way to freedom that was very obvious to them.

And then, a few of them came over and brought some of the belongings that Zaylen had with him.

"...huh, guess they sold off your clothes already".

"What!? Those jerks!"

"Whatever, I can deal with that later" he mentioned, looking around. "That said, after something like this, Holy Knights are probably inbound. CHroma!"

With that, Chroma unfurled into a blanket that Zaylen was now riding, which swooped over for Azalen to jump onto before it flew through the massive hole in the ceiling and into the sky while keeping the two of them securely held onto it.

"...to think...I actually found one of the Seven Deadly Sins...and in a place like that..."

"What made you think to ask anyways?" Azalen asked curiously.

"Instinct".

"Alright...well, congrats on your victory. Honestly, now that I am awake, I do have business of my own, so...I guess I could help you look for them..."

"...why do I sense a but?"

"Well, its really hard for me to be on my own. So I am counting on you to wake me up. You managed to fully wake me up after eight years of slumber, so it seems you are good for that".

"That is great and all...but...its night time, we are up in the air, both of us are naked, and I am super cold! Do you have...you don't, do you?"

"Well, I suppose we should probably go inside..." Azarel said, as he directed Chroma to go down and land on a nearby grassy hill. It was still cold though because it was night.

"Inside?"

"Yeah...alright Chroma. Fifth Form! Realm!" he said as he snapped his fingers, and suddenly the blanked grew to massive size and camoflauged itself, with them inside of it. However, there were various differences inside. "This is the fifth form: Realm. I can make a mimicked area of where I am under my control, but I also have a section I can transport us into where I can store things. One time, while dealing with some werewolves, I found this building they seemed adament about protecting, so I took it with me".

It was very strange. Inside this Realm, it was warm and sunny, but also it felt like they could sleep normally. BUt what was really strange was the building...it practically looked like a giant hat!

"It is some sort of tavern or inn from a long time ago. I thought it might make a good home on the road, so I had my Chroma swallow it. It was a bit tough and took some time, but I eventually managed. Anyways, there should be some clothes that fit you inside" he said, before throwing himself back onto the grass and lying there. "Wake me up in the morning! Its been a long time since I slept in Chroma, I could really use this!"

"...I am a prince, but I feel like I am being treated like an alarm clock..." Zaylen mentioned, as he headed towards the door. But that was when he saw a sign that said something dangerous.

"Make sure you use the proper password or else the traps will get you".

"Ummm, Azarel?" he asked as he turned around, but he was already fast asleep.

Zaylen went over and pushed Azarel a little, but he didn't budge at all, and was already sound asleep.

"How did he manage that so quickly?!" Zaylen questioned, which seemed to disturb him just enough to grab hold of Zaylen and pull him into a lying down position in the grass next to him. "...I suppose...it is refreshing at least him not treating me like some delicate royalty".

And so, the two started their adventure with a snooze in a grassy plain.

* * *

**AN:** Ahhh...the sweet smell of retribution and justice! Hope everyone enjoyed! All the hillarity! XD Anyways, leave a review letting me know what you liked, and stay tuned for next time when the action picks up! After all, no reason a strong person would have appeared here yet, aside from Azarel!


	3. Chapter 3: Holy Knights and The Church

**Chapter 3: The Holy Knights and The Church**

"Hmmm...mmmhmmmm...what the..." were the first words out of Zaylen's mouth as he woke up. It was the odd feel of laying naked not in a bed, but on grass. It took him a moment to remember just where he was after that, and who he was laying next to. His face turned red as innocent thoughts sped through his brain. "Oh no...oh no oh no. I slept together with someone naked! Isn't that how babies are made!?"

However, as he calmed himself down...

"Wait, no. I slept naked with my older brother, and my younger brother. Right...it needs to be a boy and a girl".

And then, after making all that fuss, he looked over at Azalen, who was just sleeping there in a carefree way. Even though Zaylen had shouted, he was not even budging and inch. And then, Zaylen's eyes wandered to the location of his brand.

"Oh...wow...he really is the Sloth Sin. Why is his brand there though? Seems really embarrass...ing..."

And then, reality hit Zaylen again.

"I just...slept naked outside...oh wow, of other nobles heard about this, they would freak and make fun of me and be annoying".

He then stood up, and paced around for a bit.

"Alright, how do I wake him up...maybe like this?"

Zaylen stepped his bare feet onto Azalen's stomach, with no reaction. He then tried jumping up and down, but still nothing. As a result, Zaylen sat down right on top of Azalen.

"Alright...what did my brothers do to wake me up? If he is a Beastkin as well, his weaknesses should be...ah! The ticklish pelvis bone!" Zaylen announced, and tried to tickle his pelvis bone area. This resulted in Azalen starting to giggle, but in his sleep and then his face got all bashful and embarrassed. "Alright, that was close..."

Zaylen was starting to have some progress, but it seemed it was not enough.

"Oh! Here is one! Azalen, we have nothing to eat for breakfast!"

"...I...like...waffles" Azalen mumbled in his sleep.

"Hmmm..." Zaylen pondered, thinking. "I could try kissing him I guess, but I would rather not want to. There is no water for a bath...which we both really need. I dont see any musical instruments...and its like, the perfect temperature in this place, so I cant just wait for it to cool".

It was a real conundrum. However, he then considered one thing he has not tried yet. Therefore, he got down and laid on the grass again, and decided to whisper right into Azalen's ear.

"If you dont wake up right now, you will have to do everyone's chores".

Immediately, Azalen shot up and awake in an instant.

"What was that?! I am good, right?"

"Nooo" Zaylen replied as he sat up with arms crossed.

"Oh, hey Zaylen. Why are you sitting here naked?"

"You are doing the same".

"Oh...I just fell asleep here huh? You didn't try to carry me inside?"

"There was a note on the door that mentioned if you did not say the correct passphrase, all the traps would activate and annihalate us".

"Oh...so we have just been both struck out here the whole time then?" Azalen said, a bit embarrased.

"Yeah. So would you mind letting us in?"

"Ah, sure" Azalen said as he lept to his feet. He went over to the door. "Open open".

"...seriously? Well, whatever" he said, as the two went in. It appeared to be a completely normal tavern, called the Boar Hat. "Well, since we are already naked, we might as well do Rak-en-shor".

Azalen looked over at him. "Really? We are both fugitives, being hunted, and you want to adhere to that now?"

"Hey, we are safe here right? Besides, Rak is pretty easy. You just have to have a meal with other people naked and have discussions and such".

"I am guessing you are a pretty strong follower of The Church if that was the first thing you thought about".

"Well, its more the Faith then the Church. Lately, I dont like how the Church has been twisting it...the worship if our Faith, of Elizabeth-sama our Goddess" Zaryen said as he started feeling up Azaren's body.

"...seriously?"

"Well you know, the Faith teaches us that by knowing the body of a friend, by being close with them, is one of the best ways to become comfortable with them and get to know them. Yes, the first three standards set by the Faith, the Trinity Statement: 'The more embarrassing something is, the more it will help build character. The more you know about each other's bodies and see them, the better you will bond. And no matter how dark a person might be, you should always reach for that light of hope'".

"...alright, alright!" Azarel said, as he manipulated Chroma in Blanket Form to get some food for them out of the pantry. The two quickly took their seats, and soon enough Chroma came back and lowered itself onto the table with a haul of food, and made itself like a table cloth.

"Thank you for the food!" they both said, when Zaylen noticed something about Azarel. His face was flushed red with embarrassment.

"Azarel-kun...are you embarrassed? But, back then in that place, you had been their captive for like eight years? And you just slept outside naked".

"Well...I was still drowsy then..." Azarel said, fidgeting. "Also...it might have something to do with my demeanor, or my magical power. Whenever I get active or into something, I tend to not mind. Also if I am not truly awake, or drowsy, I am numb to things. Its just...right now..."

"Ehhh...so the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins can make a cute face like that?"

"Eh?"

"And hey, look. We both have the same cute shoulders, the same adorable hips..." he said.

"Eh...ehhhhhh?!" Azarel said with a shock as Zaylen gave him a rather lustful look. What made it even more weird was that some of his inner thoughts considered that what he said was true. However, the expression was replaced with laughter in an instant, which turned Azarel all shades of red. "That...you faked me out!"

"Sorry...its just. I wanted to see how you would react!" Zaylen mentioned. "Sorry sorry. Lets continue eating".

That said, Zaylen also had a red face. From what Azalen could guess, he probably made that joke in some weird attempt to overcome his own nervousness and embarrassment, and was just trying to put on a strong face as a prince.

And so, the two of them dug into the food. It was rahter delicious, even though it should have been sitting there for eight years.

"How is this so good?"

"Time doesn't really flow within Realm unless someone is inside it" Azarel explained, still a bit embarrassed. In an attempt to focus on something that didn't involve him, he looked over at Zaylen. "So...that power you used there...was it Ark?"

"Yep" Zaylen said, as he pointed to his right eye. Suddenly, it changed from a silver color to a red. A trait that those who carry celestial blood in them have. "The power of Ark has been in the Royal Family for generations, believed to be from the time of the original Seven Deadly Sins. Some believe we even got our blood from the then Queen, now Goddess Elizabeth-sama. However, the Church recently used those records and claims to declare us as heritics, as subverting the faith to manipulate the masses and hold power, and cast us out. But its the Church that are the real enemies! To make matters worse, the Holy Knights also seem to think somehow we are the ones making everything worse...either their higher ups are in on it, or they got fooled by The Church as well...not to mentioned fooled by the nobles who like to play people for power".

"I see...I think I understand the situation now. So, to go up against that power, you want to recruit the current eras Seven Deadly Sins then?"

"Exactly! I dont think that you would just kill Harozen, the one who helped and saved you from terrible fates. It doesn't make sense to me".

"Alright then. In that case...we will need to find them".

Zaylen gave him a look.

"You don't know where they are?"

"Not a clue".

"I see...well, I suppose we could always use intuition and a compass!"

"Before that...do you have a map in that bag of yours?"

Zaylen nodded, and the two of them stood up and headed over to the bag. Zaylen got out the map, and then unfurled it on an empty table as the two stood and looked over it. Azarel turned a bit red though because Zaylen had grabbed his tail for some reason. The Faith pretty much made it far more morally and socially acceptable for people to be harassed and treated this way. There was a long standing joke that the Church of Elizabeth had been partially set up, or was based on the ideals of, some powerful Demon.

It was claimed that this was considered normal and accepted by the heroes of the Holy War 2000 years ago though. Well, Azarel supposed it could be worse, with extremely active and unwanted heavy harassment in public, and become even more morally corrupt. (Really Meliodas? This is all your fault you know. People tend to use heroes as examples after all...)

"It looks like...there is a Holy Knight fortress this way, this way, and this way. Hmm, what is this here?"

"The Valley of Shadows. But it has already been searched multiple times by Holy Knights".

"What about this place?"

"That? Its just a common forest. There isn't much hunting game though, but still".

"What about here?"

"That is Heimsberg. Supposedly, there is a serial killer around there causing issues, and also the Holy Knights are putting people, including women and children, into forced labor camps in the mines for crimes they apparently committed. Apparently being the key word".

"Alright then, lets get dressed and head out. Should still have some clothes here that we can wear to blend in".

The two went to his changing room, with the two of them ending up changing in the same room. Azalen was not a fan of that though, but mostly because he hated people seeing where his Brand was. That said...the outfits they chose weren't that much in terms of blending.

Azalen was wearing clothes that made him look like a schoolboy, though it was his shortsleeve version, while Zaylen was wearing a white and blue sailor's outfit.

"These should not stand out too much, right?"

"Yeah, so long as they are not extremely devout holding Gathering, where everyone goes naked. There are some places where people are more lax about things, so only places like where I am from, The Capital, is like that. The Church used to be more lax too I hear, but lately its been a bit more strict".

"...you know, all of these rules and requirements...this is why I never really showed up for a lot of religous stuff".

"But the Faith was made this way by the Goddess to help make everyone familiar with each other, be more open, hold less secrets, and be a better community!"

Azalen wanted to point out that the community basically betrayed him, but it occured to him the counter argument would be

Either way, they could now travel without drawing weird gazes and suspicions, so they gathered their traveling gear together, and left Realm. Suddenly, the exit behind them swirled into a black void, and then turned into the blanket form which folded itself and stuck itself on Azalen's back.

"So, you get any ideas where the others might have gone after that?"

"Nope, not a clue. But, I know how to start searching. We have to go on the southwestern road, towards this place".

"Aurora Beach?"

"Yeah. Trust me, this plan should work just fine".

"But...we will have to go right past a Holy Knight Stronghold. What if something bad happens?"

"We are searching for the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins. Something bad had already happened, and something bad will happen again".

Zaylen sighed. "Allright".

* * *

Surprisingly, their travels were actually fairly peaceful. No one randomly jumping out to attack them, no monsters charging out to try and kill them, no beasts coming out to try and eat them. It was an entirely peaceful day.

"This is weird. Before, we would always get attacked on the road".

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but usually it was weirdos who tried to challange us...oh hey look, a town is approaching".

"Yeah, thats the town of Jerzyin. It was built against the rocky cliff by families who worked in the fort above. Anyways, we should probably be careful. There is a contigent of Dawnknights there, as well as two Holy Knights stationed there. Kerzen and Illuria".

"Dawnknights...Dawnknights...sounds familiar, but I cant remember it".

"Ehhhh?! They are basically Knights that are close to HOly Knights in power, but lack proper magical abilities. They are basically the bridge between normal Knights and Holy Knights! They basically outnumber us you know?"

"Oh yeah..." Azalen said, as he looked over at Zaylen and measured his combat ability. Which was quite surprising for someone who should have been sheltered.

Physical Power: 500. Magical Power: 600. Spirit Power: 200.

For reference, a weak child might have a score of 10. Total. The average Holy Knight these days had 400 or 500 total when inducted. Zaylen on the other hand had a total of 1300. Granted, the numbers were relative, and it was entirely possible he lacked the ability to make use of his full power. But it did explain his abilities earlier, despite being drugged.

That said, that was the Average Holy Knight at the point of induction before they had true experience and battles. Many of them trained to raise them further. The advanced Holy Knights got up to 1000 total power. The Elite Holy Knights would get up to 2000. And various Exceptional HOly Knights might reach 3000 at some point. Which left the ones who would become Grandmaster, with 4000 total power at least these days. The Master Rank, that only a handful would be able to reach.

Either way, it was interesting. But there was a huge difference between having power and being able to use it effectively.

As they entered the town, they couldn't help but notice something strange though. There was a strange air to the town, and while there was activity, it seemed far less lively then the city they had come from. And that wasn't because of a difference in size or population either.

"...it seems that no matter what we did, we would have stood out huh?"

"Yeah. Hard to blend in this situation".

Indeed, it did not take long for them to understand the strangeness of this town. While there were people out, there were no children. No laughter, no energy, nothing like that. The village was made up of only adults and elderly.

"How long?"

"Zero" Azalen replied, as suddenly two sources of magic power could be felt approaching from above. Indeed, it appeared two Holy Knights had jumped off the cliff, and they landed about twenty meters in front of them, weapons in hand. An overwhelming aura could be felt from them as well.

"Well well, look at what we have here. Two useless, wasteful children wandering around on their own" one of them said, a venomous sort of joy heard in his voice.

As for the other one, he carried himself in a more serious, but still malicous manner.

"There is an order in the land to recruit all children in these lands for special education and living, to ensure that their time is used productively and their bodies developed to be properly strong".

"Well we are only passing through, and not of this land".

"No matter, we will be taking you with us immediately!"

"I have not heard of this though. YOu are probably making this up".

"We are not. All children are sequestestered, and raised in a specially maintained envirornment while they train and learn. Children are expensive after all, constantly growing and ruining things. This way, we can keep them there isolated, and never have to buy clothes for them until they stop growing as adults other then a shirt on occasion. All of this was declared to be allowed by the teachings of The Church".

"Well now. I must say, that seems in perfect balance between logical and messed up" Azalen mentioned.

Zaylen however was already blushing. "We are not going to go along with it right? Cause that is usually what heroes do, to save the children they go along with it to find out where it is".

"Hmmmm...maybe next time, to make sure we get the logs of where all the children went. But that other city we were just at is the closest place to this town, and no one took anyone there. Therefore, its only this town that the knights here have taken from, which means they are in the fort on that cliff. Which means...the easiest way is just to deal with them".

"Um, hello? Do you not realize who we are?" the HOly Knight questioned, as various Dawnknights came out and surrounded them. "We are Holy Knights, the heroes of the realm. Do you really think you can escape us?"

At those words, Azalen took out his blanket.

"Chroma, auxilery function. Play battle music".

"Hey, what are you whispering? And what, do you think hiding under that blanket wiill save you?"

"Well, it could, but so could other things. Chroma...release restraint".

Suddenly, the concealment effect of Chroma was released, and a shockwave of magic power errupted from it. Leaving only Azalen and Zaylen unharmed, all of the Dawnknights were blown away, and only the two HOly Knights held their ground.

"What the..."

"Chroma. First Form. And...lets practice Razorwind!"

Suddenly, a spear shot out from the blanket and attacked them with high speed razor sharp slashes, which they were barely able to dodge as they jumped back.

"Remember this Zaylen. One of Chroma's greatest strengths is its ability to use multiple forms at once, being able to duplicate itself" Azalen mentioned as he stepped forward. "Chroma, Nineth Form: Laser Orb!"

The Spear turned into an Orb suddenly, and fired lasers that while they initially dodged, began to chase them around and not let them go that easily. This forced them to use their power to block, at which time Azalen appeared behind them, floating in mid air with the other Chroma in Spear Form.

"OH shi..." one of them said as they were knocked down to the ground.

"You damned brat" anther one said, suddenly appearing from behind and grabbing a hold of his clothes to try and throw him. He flew away, but the Holy Knight would not give up. "Spacial Degeneration!"

Suddenly, Azalen's clothes started to deteriorate and fall apart, causing him to blush...but also...

"Wait...is that a brand...of...the Feline Sin of Sloth?!"

"You...you pervert!" Azalen shouted as he covered himself, completely embarraseed. He then glared at the Holy Knight, as he pulled what was left of his shirt down to cover while the Spear smashed that person into the ground.

"Here!" Zaylen shouted, tossing him the shirt he was wearing. Azalen put it on as his own disintegrated, and was happy that it was big enough to cover himself. "Alright then. Now, you are going to pay for that! Those were some of my favorite clothes!"

"...dont you have at least nine more sets of those same clothes, not to mention all the other ones?"

HOwever, no one heard Zaylen's tsukinomi.

"Now, Chroma: Spirit Orbs! And also...Chains! Restrain the Holy Knights!"

The chains wrapped themselves around the Holy Knights, while he had his Spirit Orbs fire a massive attack on the fort.

"Hold on! Azalen! Calm down! The children!"

"Don't worry...its all good" Azalen mentioned, as chains also rushed into the fort. IN that instant, they began to grab each and every child there, and pulled them out safely before the fort was destroyed. By the time it was rubble, not only had the children been evacuated, but Azalen was kind enough to pull the normal works and such out of there too, resulting in zero casualties.

Azalen then flew down to the ground, touching it with his bare feet as the Spirit orbs turned back into a Spear.

"That was...incredible!" Zaylen said, as the chains titaned even further around the Holy Knights behind him, causing their armor to break apart and fall to pieces. And then, just to make extra sure it was fine, Azalen kicked them both in the stomach and sent them flying into the cliff wall, giving them severe injuries so they wouldn't be able to harass the townspeople anymore.

"Yeah, thanks. Now come on, lets get somewhere safe so I can enter Realm, and we are not just standing in the middle of town both half nak..."

As Azalen was speaking however, suddenly Chroma appeared to turn into a shield as Azalen turned around, and blocked an attack that nearly hit him directly. A third Holy Knight had appeared, and it appeared to be a female with long red hair, a large sword, and she was engulfed with flames. She kicked off the shield, and landed on the ground.

"...looks like we will have to put that on hold for a bit".

"You...this amount of chaos...so the rumors are true...one of the Seven Deadly Sins has appeared once more! And you look just like how I remember you!"

Azalen however looked at her face, and drew a blank.

"Have we met?"

"Shut up you monster!" she screamed as she moved even faster then the other two Holy Knights combined. Azalen barely had time to block as her blow hit his shield, but the force still forced him to dig his feet into the ground so he was not blown away, and instead only skid a few meters. Furthermore, a massive fire attack was launched at him afterwards.

"Chroma, Second Form! Swords!" he shouted, as a Sword appeared in his hand while multiple others appeared in the sky and flew right at her. Swords seemed simple at first, but it was actually complicated, as you both had to deal with the swarm of swords, and Azalen himself holding one.

"And Chains! Restrain!"

And at the same time, chains shot out of the ground and tried to hold her. However, she seemed to errupt with a briliant flame that knocked the chains away and let him operate freely. Furthermore, several snakes made of flame emerged from it and came right at him.

"Seriously? What is with all this hate?" Azalen asked, as he had the spear appear again and disperse the flames by blocking it and spinning incredibly fast.

"I will kill you!"

"Chroma!"

Chroma turned into several orbs and fired off wind, water, and ice attacks at her, while the other one turned into an orb that shot those lasers as he dodged her attacks.

"YOu! Its because of you my father was hurt...that he could no longer be a Holy Knight! You are the one who cut off his leg! And you stole his memories! How dare you not remember!"

"I dont recall doing that at all. Then again, I dont remember anything from that day".

"Dont you dare speak of such things, just to irritate me!"

_I really dont though...I suspect Maria is behind it though. I need to find her quickly_.

HOwever, despite all the attacks and the words, she just kept coming at him.

"Alright then. This was the plan after all" Azalen muttered, and Zaylen overheard.

"Wait, what?"

"I really dont remember what happened..."

"Gira! My name is Gira!"

"Oh...wait? Lil Gira? That adorable girl that was the daughter of that one knight that lived nearby?"

"So you do remember, you bastard!"

"I remember you, but not that day. That said, you are powerful. I really do admire all the progress you made...so I will use my Magical Power, Spirit".

And then, a powerful aura was released from him that fired immediately at Gira. She tried to block instinctively, but the attack bypassed her defenses and shot her far and high into the sky, with a bright glowing pillar left from Azalen's attack.

And since it seemed his full power attack knocked her far away, he was able to relax and land on the ground again. He quickly grabbed Zaylen's hand though, and dragged him into a run as they fled the town.

"Come on, we gotta get outa here before more Holy Knights show up! I dont have bottomless stamina after all!"

"I am running I am running! But, exactly what was the plan?!"

Azalen shot him back a playful smile.

"An announcement to the world, and the rest of the Sins".

* * *

"Well now" Markus said, looking at a pillar of light in the far distance. He was standing around some unconscious nobles, helping himself to their valuables. He instinctive touched his Brand, the Magpie Sin of Greed. "I guess the Captain is finally awake, and ready to be found".

* * *

Maria looked over at a bright pillar of light off in the distance, and remembered the feeling of the magic power it belonged to. "So someone woke him up huh? Looks close too. Guess I should start making my way to him".

* * *

Anin, the Peacock Sin of Pride, looked over at the lightshow off in the mountains. "Cool! Its show time! Time to play with the Captain!"

* * *

Siegfried was drinking in a tavern, when he heard soemthing in the background that interested him.

"Did you hear? One of the Seven Deadly Sins appeared in the northern hills!"

"I hear he caused a huge ruckus in town, and then charged towards an important HOly Knight Fort and destroyed it! Some even say its the Captain, the sin of Sloth!"

Siegfried chuckled as he heard that, and then took another drink.

"About damn time, Captain".

* * *

Seth was just flying in the sky, across the southern mountains, when he saw the huge pillar of light.

"Really Captain? Did you have to make that big of a show? Fine, fine...I will come. I guess its finally time for us to make our move, but next time, we need to make sure the Captain doesnt take such a long nap".

* * *

And elsewhere, in the distance...the Sin of Lust overheard it as well.

"So, I guess its time for us to make our move Captain".

* * *

And meanwhile, in the Capital's Church, the Pope stood at the top of a pillar.

"So...he has finally woken up? Let us hope...that all of our preparations will be more then sufficient".

He then looked backwards, and looked at a boy they had chained up on the wall. He was battered and bruised all over.

"And if needed, we always have our trump card".

And so, with a beacon shooting up to the stars, forces in the world began to make their moves.

* * *

**AN:** Well, that was fun! Hope you enjoyed, and remember to leave a review! Have fun everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: My Little Sin

**Chapter 4: My Little Sin**

* * *

**AN:** Don't forget to come and check out the Discord!

* * *

"So...exactly what is the next stage of the plan?" Zaylen asked Azalen as they entered the tavern again. "I mean, how will they find you back? Or message you? Or whatever?"

"Well, I figure we just keep traveling and waiting" Azalen said as he looked down at himself. He was still only wearing a large shirt, and now his feet had gotten dirty. "Its entirely likely either Markus, the Sin of Greed, or Seth, the Sin of Wraith, will find us first. However, its possible we might, maybe find another Sin at that town you mentioned, with the serial killings".

"The serial...wait, you dont think a Sin caused that do you? You guys should be heroes!"

"Well, sometimes matters are complicated...if I am right, at least one of us might be broken. Its a complicated matter, but if I find him, everything should be fine".

"You sure?"

"Yeah. But dont tell him he is broken, only I can do that. His relationship to people is different then his relationship to the Sins, and especially me. Its complicated, and weird, and you would need to spend a large amount of time around him to understand his unique quirks. But, I am sure he is a good person at heart".

Zaylen seemed to fully believe that, which let Azalen sigh in relief. Well, what Azalen said was not quite a lie. After all, he was sure Anin had to have some good in him. There are still plenty of annoying and bothersome people around after all.

"That said, I wouldn't mind if we avoided meeting The Sin of Envy, Gluttony, and Lust for awhile. I mean, they have their good points, but having one of the others around would be helpful".

"...you just dont want to deal with bothersome things, don't you?" Zaylen said as he walked up to Azalen.

"Yeah, pretty mu...hey hey, what the?!" Azalen started, but got embarrassed and flustered when Zaylen undressed him. "What did you do that for?!"

"Well, you said you did not want to deal with bothersome things" Zaylen mentioned. "But shouldn't we get all the Sins, regardless of how bothersome, since we will all get clobbered otherwise?"

"Jeesh. In that case..." Azalen mentioned, as he moved his hand around. Suddenly, Chroma appeared in blanket form, pulled down Zaylen's pants, and then tripped him to hoist them out of it as Azalen moved out of the way. "There".

Now they were both extremely embarrassed. However, the lack of female presence made it a bit more tolerable for them. Getting naked on one's own accord is one thing, getting stripped by someone else made things extremely more embarrassing usually.

As they stood up with their red faces, the two looked at each other, nodded, and then took a deep breath. In Zaylen's mind, he did not want to get dressed first because he did not want to lose to Azalen, while Azalen...well, it was night time. He didn't feel like getting dressed again if it was only Zaylen. Azalen did have some sleepwear, but if he was already naked not much point.

_That said...I should take a bath before we meet the Sin of Envy, unless I want to deal with even more trouble.__ But...if we stay dirty, just dirty enough, people might look away from us and dismiss us as Urchins. Yeah, so the reasonable, tactical decision is to be lazy._

"So...just to be clear, we are just going to keep traveling and let them come to us?"

"Yeah. Maybe...we could go to the beach too. You know, to refresh".

The truth was that Azalen had a complicated history. Like most people these days, he was not really overly concerned about Nudity. It was mainly just his Brand, so if he made the effort to conceal it, he was fine. He certainly had that ability, but as for why he did not do that all the time...well, he was the Sin of Sloth. So while he had strength to overcome it, or deal with it, that did not mean he could do it all the time. In the first place, he could not conceal it and use most of his abilities at the same time, though given the method used, his durability did increase quite a bit.

Well, in short, bothersome things were bothersome.

"...yeah, maybe. Not sure we have the time though".

"Right...well, what now?"

"I suppose...take a nap?"

"A nap? Right now? The sun just barely set outside!"

"Well, its way too late to do stuff, and you are too young to hold your liqour..."

"No way! I can totally hold my liqour!"

"Somehow I doubt that...we could always play Crossed Swords..."

"Cr-cr-crossed swords?! I-I suppose..." Zaylen asked, stuttering as he blushed. He had heard that sometimes boys did play games like that when na...

"Yeah. I have the board game stored in a closet somewhere".

"Oh...the board game..."

Azalen narrowed his eyes. "What did you think I mean exactly?"

"Nothing!"

"...you...you are not used to interacting with people, are you?"

Zaylen sighed.

"No, not really...thats why, rather then sleeping, I really am open to just doing anything. As a prince, I was often surrounded by tutors and books. Sometimes I would be able to play with other boys of high level knights and such, but it was not common and sometimes their parents would scold them and instruct them, so...a lot of times it felt tense and scripted".

"I see...so a sheltered prince. The male version of a sheltered princess character I guess?" Azalen mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"I think there is a small village near here. I know a pretty good way to handle something like this".

"Alright cool. What then?"

Azalen thought a little, and decided to play a bit of a joke.

"Well, speaking of which...as a prince, did you ever recieve training to deal with more...blushing situations?"

Zaylen's face went even more red. After all, he knew what he was talking about. It was a general topic that covered various situations. From how to deal with a sudden...unpleasant assault, to how to be good in bed. After all, it would be no good if a member of the royal family was considered by other royalty and lords to be lacking in such areas, they recieved extensive training.

"Y-yes!" Zaylen lied. He kinda slacked off. Even though there was a lot of importance to be good when he became an adult, most would still consider him too young. Of course, he did not know that, but Azalen wanted to poke some fun.

"Okay good. Because I had no plans to do that myself" Azalen said bluntly. He knew it was a lie, but...he was the Sin of Sloth. He had only said that just to be amused at his reaction. "So, if that is all good, and your combat skills are good..."

"No, actually...please! Teach me how to fight as good as you!"

"As good as me, huh? Hmmm...Anin might get a bit jealous...well, no probably not. But...I suppose I could...but, I don't know..."

"Please! I want to be as good as you!"

"Well, I might not be the best teacher. After all, technically you are physically stronger then me".

"Eh?"

"If you are able to use the power of Ark, then you should have access to it right? The Truesight?"

Truesight. It was an ability of Ark Magic that allowed one to comprehend their Total, Physical, Magical, and Spirit power in number forms, and could also even tell you the name of their Magic Power.

"A...allright" Zaylen said, and then activated Truesight. Although, he was a bit nervous...his Truesight was a bit different then most. But he used it anyways...

Total Power: 9300. Physical Power: 100? Magical Power: 200?! Spirit Power: 9000?! Magical Power: Spirit. The Ability to use and manipulate Spirit Power and Energy, from converting it into other forms of power, to making use of it directly. Additionally, measurements of all physical details...

Zaylen went red in the face as he got more information then anticipated. Though while some made him feel uncomfortable, others shocked him.

Most Compatible Lover: Someone who can spark a fire in his spirit.

Lifespan: Infinite.

His lifespan shocked Zaylen, though his Race did even more. But what might have been really shocking was...

Abnormalities: Sealed. He is currently unable to use his full power. Cannot be removed until certain circumstances are met.

Yes, Zaylen's Truesight had the power to see more then most others. Sometimes it could be really concerning, and sometimes it would give him odd details he might not normally get.

However, as Azalen waved his hand in front of his face to get his attention, he snapped back to the conversation.

"Ummm...hold on. You were able to fight off all those people, and showed that level of strength and ability, even though your base strength and...oh, its your Magical Power?"

"Yes, my Magical Power: Spirit, allows me to do a wide range of things, and it lets me control my Sacred Treasure: Chroma. I can also convert it into Physical and Magical Power as needed. Though its been awhile, so I am a bit rusty..."

"Huh...alright. So...will you please?"

"Well, other then maybe some hand to hand combat, there is not much I can teach you really other then practice. And that seems really bothersome...".

_Besides, you already have enough power, on your own, to take down two, maybe three, basic Holy Knights on your own in a straight fight. I mean, I suppose it would help though...if anything, I would not have to save or worry about him as much. Alright, its a bother, but I suppose overall it will prevent future bothers. I just kinda wanna do what I want though..._

"In that case, come on, lets head into the basement".

"We have a basement?" Zaylen asked, as the two headed towards a door in the kitchen.

Going downstairs, they quickly found a rather interesting room in the bottom. It was clearly worn, and it had a storage area, a spare cot, and a few other things in the corner. BUt in the center of the room, it was open and empty, and the entire place looked like it was built sturdy, as if it could hold up against a hundred dragons.

"Alright, so then, where do we get..." Zaylen said when suddenly get got punched in the face and fell back onto the floor. "Oww!"

"No padding, no nothing" Azalen said, as he motioned the Chroma there with them to maintain a blanket form and act as a rug to be under their feet. "If I am going to train you, I wont go easy on you. No padding, no protection".

"...its not that your lazy right".

"Of course not!"

"...by any chance, did you never buy any practice gear?"

Azalen did not answer the question. In his defense, practice gear was pointless for them. Especially one of them, who lost his shirt more times then he could count. And several of them had no qualms about walking around naked while in the base, or sparring, or drinking sometimes, or such. Especially since most things got evicerated if their practice got serious, which it always did.

The Sins had a bad habit of forgetting to hold back enough for normal people.

"Now then, lets begin".

* * *

Teizal: A small village in the middle of the Mistwoods, which has been known to cause all sorts of magical anomalies. Population is only a hundred or two, but its by the main road so it gets a few visitors. It has quite the dedication to the Church, and had an ever growing community.

* * *

Furthermore, it looked like this time, there were not even any local issues that they might have to deal with. Which was a nice bonus.

And so the two dressed in their usual traveling clothes, decided to head towards the inn first. Although it was possible for Azalen to use Realm, if he used it while there was an active Holy Knight around, problems could occur. And after last night, and dealing with Zaylen's recovery afterwards, Azalen thought he should save some power just in case.

As they entered though, the two caught sight of a few knights updating the wanted posters on the wall. Among them now included not only the Seven Deadly Sins, but a masked swordsman known as "Ezzero", some minstral named "Echo", and most importantly, the villainous and traitorous prince Zaylen.

"Hello? We are here to ask for a room?"

The woman at the desk seemed to notice them, though she did not turn around to see them.

"Oh. That will just be a few coins please. Please know that the baths in the back are currently being prepared, so you may want to get settled quickly. Dinner will be afterwards so that I can bathe you" she replied.

"Thats fine, we can do it on our own" Azalen noted.

Azalen paid, and then without looking, she tossed them a key. Azalen caught it in the air, though she still never looked at them. It was actually kind of annoying Zaylen, but Azalen just shrugged it off.

"What was that?!" an annoyingly old and strong looking man said as he walked up to the counter wearing full body armor, and radiating a certain power level. "Hold it right there! We were here first, and we will be taking that room, not some filthy, smelly street urchins who are on their own, wasting resources that we Holy Knights need.

_...thats again they are saying that. Hmmmm._

The man then looked over at the knights who were dealing with the posters.

"You lot! These brats stole our room! Properly bring them outside and educate them!"

"Excuse me sir. Please do not make a scene like this" the woman requested. She still was not looking, just what was so important to her? Azalen was curious now, that he forgot the HOly Knight was there.

"You brat! Don't ignore me!" he shouted, picking him up. At this point, he then also reached over and grabbed the woman's shoulder as well, and pushed her around to see her face.

And the moment the three of them saw each other, they were all shocked.

"Maria?"

"Seven Deadly Sins Envy Sin?!"

"Captain?"

"Wait...Captain?"

"Well, this makes things a lot simpler" Azarel said, as he grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it.

"OOWWWWWW!" he shouted as Azarel fell to the ground, and kicked the man's boot. Suddenly he was filled with pain and fell backwards. The other three knights came at them, but Zaylen drew a sword of Ark and repelled them. The Holy Knight meanwhile got up, but suddenly felt as if he could not move.

Maria meanwhile came forward, and quickly delivered a powerful kick to knock them out.

"Well...took you long enough, Captain" Maria mentioned.

"Ohhh...heey Maria. Well, while you erase all their memories..."

Azalen started to try and escape, but she suddenly grabbed them both by the ear, at the same time their bodies seemed bound by wires.

"Nice try Captain, but you smell and look filthy. When was the last time you took a bath? Either of you really, but especially you Captain?"

"Just a few days ago!" he lied. In fact, he was probably asleep the last time he was bathed, so he had no clue for certain. He assumed it happened at least once in the past eight years.

"Uh huh...come with me" she said, dragging them away by their ears.

* * *

"Is it me, or does this happen to us too many times?"

"Its because we dont have enough decent enemies to fight yet".

"Actually, its because you are lazy Captain" Maria told him as he and Zaylen were currently sitting in two wooden baths. Basically, it was like a very wide bucket, and was as tall as a bucket, filled with water that one would sit in as they poured water over themselves, or as others did it for them, and bathed or were bathed. They were located outside in the back of the building, so it was debatably isolated, as people came passing by every so often, waving at them and giving them smiles, or were greeting Maria.

"So...I am a bit surprised to find you here".

"Well, I figured a nice small town would be a great place to lay low. Could you stand for a sec".

"Oka..." Azalen started to say as he complied, only for him to get pushed down again over the edge and hit in the rear very harshly an amount of times Zaylen couldn't count. "What was that for?!"

"That was for sleeping in for so long!" she told him as she made him sit back in the bucket. "Seriously, do you not realize just how long it has been?"

"Owow...it hurts to sit now...but, I sort of know. Its been eight years, and that was way more then eight!"

"It was one for each day in the year".

Zaylen paled as he heard that. He didn't want to even consider how fast she had to move her hand to do that.

"So mean. You know I am the Captain, right?"

"And I will treat you like one when your not covered head to toe in dirt, and clearly have not bathed in a month, at least".

"Jeese" Azalen said with a blush. "Its not that..."

"Its that bad! When I started, your skin was a darker shade for sure!"

"She is kind of like a mom".

"You are no better!"

"Hey! You know I am a princ..."

"I dont care! You are a dirty boy who didn't bother to take care of himself either!"

That was when she took some soap and started washing behind their ears.

"You dont even get these areas either! Honestly! As the Captain, and as a Prince, you should look presentable!"

"Ayayayayayay! Dont do it that hard!"

"Wawawawawa! That was cold!"

"Oh, the both of you whine too much".

Suddenly, they started to hear some ruckus from back in the inn.

"What is that sound?"

"Sounds like trouble. We should get..."

Suddenly, the two felt as if they could not move.

"Don't try to get away that easily".

"What...is this..."

"This is her Sacred Treasure: Charlotte's Web. Its a fantastic device that allows her to create and manipulate wires to create traps and ensnare people! She also has special strings she has saved up just for use on the Sins, especially her Captain who she is envi..."

"William!" Maria shouted at the one who had just joined them...a talking big?

"...did that pig just speak?"

"...I think it did..."

"Yes, this is William. Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Oh! I came here to warn you that some more Holy Knights and their guards showed up and are..."

At that moment, as mentioned, a few Holy Knights came around the corner, followed by a bunch of regular knights.

"Maria! You better wipe all their memories properly" Azalen said with a blushed face. Only then, Maria wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Why? If anything, they should be envious of you. Wont that make you happy? After all, being so small and cute is nothing to be ashamed of" she said in a motherly tone while kissing his cheek. "I wish I could be young and childlike again like you".

It seemed however, aside from embarrassing the hell out of Azalen like a mother might, she was also annoying the Holy Knights.

"You there! I will need you three to come with us! We have questions about what happened inside! Get those worthless brats out of the water and haul them for a physical inspection to the doctor as well! All kids need to be examined!"

As Azalen took a bit of notice in his embarrassed state, that was when both he and Zaylen felt a murderous aura coming from behind them.

"What was that you called them...and what you said?"

"Oh...crap..." Azalen mentioned unconsciously.

As a few knights stepped forward, they would suddenly find themselves flung into the air by wires too small for them to see. This put the rest of them on guard.

"What did you call my Captain? And what was that about 'hauling them' like cargo?"

"You heard me!" The Holy Knight exclaimed, swinging down his sword as he stepped forward to cut through the wires. And yet, the moment he did...suddenly he was completely ensnared.

_There were wires I missed?__ But I was watching the whole time!_

"...how did he not notice those?" Zaylen whispered as a crowd began to gather around them, only making things worse for the two of them.

"That would be her Magic Power: Historian. The ability to manipulate memories" Azalen replied.

"...that is scary. You think she could release us though so we can defend ourselves?"

Indeed, the two of them were trapped themselves in wires.

"...probably wont happen. After all, she knows none of them can really threaten her, let alone all of us. And I think she is really angry at me still".

"That was a lot of spanking..."

"She is basically the mom of the Seven Deadly Sins. She is angry at me for sleeping in for so long, she is angry at us for being covered in dirt, and ultimately she does not trust me to take proper care of myself. Well, she tends to think that about most of the Sins, and probably you as well".

"I see...are you sure she isn't in love with you or something?" Zaylen asked. Azalen couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Trust me, its definently not because she is in love with and is attracted to me. That I know for sure. She sees me more as a rambunctious son she needs to take care of and protect, even though I am the Captain".

Meanwhile, the various other knights had been charging at them, but Maria swept them all up spectacularly.

"Also, have you been properly keeping up with your excersizes?"

"Yes!"

"Hmmmmm...and have you been properly making sure the Prince has kept up with his education?"

"...thats not my job".

"If he is under your care, it is".

"No way! YOu should do it, the fight would be more fair!"

"Don't shirk off your responsibilities!" she shouted as another Holy Knight came charging at her, only for her to trip him up and as he fell, kick him in the head.

"And look at all that dirt still on your bodies! I am going to have to keep bathing you, aren't I?"

"Could you not talk about this in front of them?"

"Why? Its not like anyone will remember all of this anyways, and if anything its..."

"Right right...this is just one of many reasons why you are the Sin of Envy..."

"You say something, Captain?"

"Nothing!"

"Alright. Just making sure" she said as she finished off the final one of their aggressors, and then turned back to them. "Well then, I suppose if we are in the presence of royalty, I should introduce myself. I am Maria, the Spider Sin of Envy".

"N-nice to meet you".

"Right. Now, let me adore...err, dry your ears and tail now, and finish up".

* * *

"Alright, now that all that is finally done" Azalen said, still a bit red but now dressed again in clean clothes with Zaylen, looked towards Maria. "Important Captain business time".

At those words, Maria's expression seemed to get a lot more serious, while Zaylen was playing with William in the background. After all, Maria knew if Azalen was being this serious and getting work done of his own accord, either he was having a really good day, which given what she just did to him, definently was not the case, he was in a rare mood of actually getting things done, or it was something so serious and important it spurred him into action.

"Alright, Captain. What is it?"

"Why did you erase my memories of what happened that day? The entire day for me, what happened at the Capital, when the Commander was murdered...I dont remember any of it".

"But, Captain...you know my power does not normally work on you. Those with high Spirit levels can naturally resist it to some degree, or maybe eventually recall things...but on your level its basically impossible".

"Normally, but I get the feeling that day was anything but normal".

Maria picked up a beer she had taken, and passed a second to Azalen.

"...actually, I cant recall anything from that day either".

"What?"

"It wasn't that I erased your memories...rather, from what I pieced together afterwards, everyone there lost their memories of the event. No one who survived seemed to know a thing, and short of checking out every single person in the capital and then erasing their minds of me, which eventually would have had me caught even, as it would be impossible for me even, I had no leads to go on".

"So, you are saying that even you cant remember?"

"That is right. However, there might still be one person who might now. Lately I have been trying to track him, especially since he is just as bad as taking care of himself as you are".

"So then, you think..."

"Yeah. I think its possible that in that nearby city, those serial killings...if I am right, they might be the work of the Sin of Pride".

"Alright then, in that case we better get going at first light".

* * *

**AN:** Well then! We have finally found another Sin! Hope you all enjoyed, and laughed plenty, because with the next Sin that is up...who knows what might happen?


	5. Chapter 5: Bloody Murder

**Chapter 5: Bloody Murder**

* * *

**AN:** So many lessons...so little time...

* * *

Heimsberg. One of the larger cities in the region, with a bustling population. It was built over one thousand years ago, and had major trade routes to the port city Elurian, the giant city Ursalen, and maintained trade routes with a city in the south that connected to the Fairy King's Forest even. It also had quite a bit of farmland, and it had mines in the northern mountains.

Of course, recently someone had been drawing down that population. A rash of serial murders of unknown origin, brutal in nature and seemingly random. A gate guard, a trader, a clerk, a bathhouse owner, and two horse trainers. No visible links between any of them, yet all were brutally murdered in the same way.

It was like someone had wanted to just cause general chaos around the city and murder people left and right.

* * *

"You really think we will find him here?" Zaylen asked as they walked along the road. "Also, why is it that I am wearing this sailor outfit again?"

"Because the author doesn't want to keep making up new outfits all the time" Azalen mentioned, which then got a karate chop on the head from Maria.

"Dont do weird things like pretending you are breaking some fourth wall" Maria said, now dressed in a red tunic and dark brown pants, as well as a pair of boots. A very simple outfit that made her look like a peasant, even though the way she walked alone made her look like a noble. Zaylen was able to peg it on the spot. "Its probably because he is too lazy to think of anything else you woud look good in, despite having multiple duplicates of multiple outfits, for the sole purpose of not having to wash his clothes every day. In fact, didn't you usualy make the Holy Knight Apprentices nearby do it unless I scolded you not to?"

"What? It was training their endurance!"

"You need to learn to take more responsibilities!"

"I take plenty!" Azalen mentioned as they approached the gate. "Anyways, how are we going to get in?"

"Cant we just pass through the gate?"

"They will question us".

"I could use Historian on them and wipe their memories".

"Do you plan on using that on every single guard they have stationed around the gate?"

"I could roll on through them!"

"No, porky".

"My name is William!"

Azalen sighed.

"It would be so much easier if we had Lust".

"So she would flirt with them? And then you?"

"Okay, how many times do I have to tell you, me and Lust did not have a relationship! Its way to bothersome to date someone you work with, im surprised you didn't think of that Maria".

As they talked, they came right up to the gates. One of them had some sort of magic too, and as for what it did, it seemed a person would put their hand on it, and certain information was revealed.

"Oh, they have that sort of orb".

"What does it do?"

"It reveals five things. Physical Power. Magical Power. Spirit Power. Race. Magical Ability".

"But Captain, no one knows of our true magical abilities or races...now that I think about it, you have not aged a day since we first formed the sins though, and I have no clue what your race is".

"Hmmm...Zaylen will be tricky though. His Magical Power of Arc will stand out".

"Won't your outragously powerful stats stand out more?"

"Yeah...we cant keep having his memory erased, and he will be shocked the moment he sees the stats...well then, I guess I will use my magical power".

Suddenly, Azalen's eyes glowed a little as he emitted an aura. And in that moment, he became transparent.

"So, is this..."

"Yeah, it is his magical power...Spirit" Maria answered the question. "As someone truly intertwined with the Spirit World, he has full access to the true power that Spirit can possess. Honestly, I dont really know the truth about it myself, and even my most intense and appealing attempts have not worked".

"Really?"

"I once offered to never forcibly bathe him ever again if he told me, and he refused. Whatever it is, its deeply personal for him. He wont give up that information, whether through use of shame, embarrassment, rage, unpleasantness, bribery, seduction...its rather concerning, to be honest, but thirteen years ago, something affected him so much that nothing we could do will change that".

"I wonder what that is..." Zaylen muttered, as he watched the transparent Azalen walk up to the guards, with them not acting as if he was even there, and touched them each with his hands.

"Alright, you lot" the guard said, pointing at them. "We got word to clear you. You can pass. Welcome to Heimsberg".

"Did he just...bypass all the bothersome checks?"

"Yeah. Even the strip check they would have done on us...yet another reason he is the Sin of Sloth, he is capable of using his power like this to bypass everything bothersome" Maria mentioned as they walked into the city.

"Alright, I have a lead also" Azalen told them as he stopped being transparent. "It appears they sent a huge amount of guards to a single tavern fight".

"You sure its that? Did a murder happen there?"

"No, but...they serve Drakonian Ale".

"Ah, it has to be there then. Its definently the Sin of Pride, unless someone else is strong enough to drink the stuff".

As a result, the group decided to walk forward and head towards the tavern. For the most part, everything seemed normal, but as they began to approach, they started to find unconscious people scattered around. Rather brutally and badly hurt too, all of them moaning. And so they opened the tavern door, and at the bar counter, sitting completely naked with four other mugs of ale ready, was a young boy.

"...im impressed, he has gotten better at holding back".

"Anin!" Maria shouted, scolding him. "Where are your clothes?!"

"Ah, I lost them in a poker game" Anin said childishly and innocently. This was the Sin of Pride, Anin. With absolutely no shame at all, in his body or anything else, he was a perfect fit for the role.

"And how did..."

"Cap'n!" Anin shouted as he jumped out of his stall, and ran up and tackle hugged Azalen before kissing him on the lips. "Its been so long! It took you forever to wake up! Come on, get naked with me and lets get drunk like the old days!"

"Anin...did you forget the talk we had about the difference between familia love and romantic love?"

"Nope!"

"...I figured as much".

"Come on Cap'n! Lets get naked and go drinking, like we did for your last birthday! YOu missed eight of them you know!"

"Not right now..." Azalen mentioned, when he noticed one guy in the bar had a detacted arm and was bleeding out. Azalen quickly used his magic to reconnect the arm and heal the wound, saving his life. "Now, where are your Sacred Treasures?"

"Ummm...I lost em!"

"...you wat".

"I lost em!".

"You...sigh...Anin, would you mind getting off of me?"

"Will you go naked drinking with me?"

"Why are you so insistant on this?"

"Because I missed eight of your birthdays! We need to make up for lost time!"

Zaylen leaned towards Maria, and questioned her.

"Is this...really the Sin of Pride?"

"Yeah. A totally shameless individual. In fact, he actually loves the attention, and so wants to do stuff like this as often as possible. He is attached to all the sins, but...the Captain is his favorite".

"...oh yeah, Cap, Maria..." Anin said, looking over at Zaylen. "Who is he? He is not trying to take my spot as Cap's best friend right?"

And then, suddenly a huge gust of wind formed, and Zaylen's clothes looked as if they were practically blown off his body, causing him to go red in the face. Anin was also then standing right in front of him, checking him out. As Zaylen moved his hands, something moved faster then he could see in that moment, keeping his hands away as Anin examined his body. Anin grabbed his shoulders, then cheeks, then the sides of his chest. He felt around Zaylen's arms next, and then felt the palms, before returning to the main body. Anin checked hips, leg mass, and so on...and then he grabbed that.

"Seems that he is normal".

"A-A-Azalen!"

"Anin, let him go and stop harassing the newbie".

"Awwww, alright" Anin said, approaching the Captain again. "Well, well? There is two of us now! Cant we?"

"First things first...in the past eight years, did you kill anyone?"

"Uhhhh...define anyone?"

"...anyone I will be upset at you for killing?"

"Then nope! Actually, I tried to outdo you and slept in the woods for a few years, but eventually I got bored".

"Ha! YOu should have known better, Anin" Maria chuckled. "Anyways, Captain...you know he wont stop asking right?"

"I even prepared your favorite booze!"

"...I figured as much..."

* * *

"...thisss shtuff is...delicos!" Zaylen said as his drunk, naked body collapsed on the bar counter, while Maria, Anin, and Azalen were taking. The bartender, who looked as young as they were, seemed to have adapted to the situation though and was totally unphased, though maybe the headphones on his head had something to do with that. Either way, he kept pouring them alcohol without asking.

"Better?" Azalen asked as he drank some alcohol.

"Of course! I especially love your Brand! Its super cool looking!"

"...right, but was this really necessary?"

"Yep!"

"You know how Anin is Captain. Sometimes you gotta appease him like this".

"I thought this was going to be the break though...right, anyways Anin, so you had nothing to do with the recent serial killings?"

"Of course I did!"

At those words, both Azalen and Maria gave him a look.

"You told us before you had not killed innocents!"

"Yeah! I didn't kill them!"

"Then, what did you have to do with the recent Serial Killings?"

"Oh, well after I lost my Sacred Treasures somewhere, I realized I had to find them or you might be mad, and Maria would definently be mad, and Seth would probably be furious, so I decided to look for them! And the wounds on the bodies match the way Bael does things!"

"I didn't even think it was possible to lose your weapons..." Azalen said, as he had a sip of Draconian Ale. "So, you are not the serial killer, its your weapon...how did you even lose them anyways?"

"Dont remember!" Anin said with a smile and a shrug. "By the way, Cap...why haven't you aged at all?"

Suddenly, Anin got very hands on again as he felt the Captain's body.

"Indeed, its the same springiness, the same durability, the same everything".

"Anin...how many times do we have to tell you not to do that without permission, and never, ever lose your sacred treasures?"

"Uhh...sorry" he replied with that grin on his face still.

"Oh damnit...you know I cant stay mad at you..." Azalen mentioned, as Zaylen fell off his bar stool.

"He held his liqour longer then I thought. Maybe he is not normal after all" Anin mentioned. "I thought he would pass out much sooner. Anyways, isn't this great? Just like old times!"

"Speaking of old times...you really need a bath".

"Okay! Can we do it in the middle of town in the fountain?"

"Sure, we can get both you and Azalen, and Zaylen".

"Wait wait, why us?!"

"Because you boys attract more dirt then an earth worm".

"Hold it! We should deal with the serial killer first!" Azalen stated, prompting a subtle smile from Maria.

"Oh, so you do plan on dealing with him still?"

"Yes...Anin, get dressed! Repurpose one of these drunks clothes! Maria, get Zaylen dressed and dress yourself, and find us an inn. Me and Anin are going serial killer hunting".

"Yay! Bonding time with Cap! Do we have to get dressed though?"

"Yes, Anin. If we dont, they will realize we are coming sooner, and run away before we can find them".

"Fiiiinnneee~".

* * *

Anin looked a bit ridiculous, going barefoot and seemingly wearing baggy shorts, and an oversized shirt with rips at the end. That was because it was adult sized clothing they stole for him, but no one had shoes that fit him.

"So, when did you lose your clothes exactly?" Azalen asked as he was wearing some normal clothes again, his outfit that had the blue denim suspender shorts, and a white T shirt, along with blue boots.

"When I saw your beam shoot into the sky. I figured it would make it easier for you to find me!"

"...I see. And you didn't think to wait at the gate?"

"They could be bothersome there sometimes".

The two of them walked down the alley, looking like normal helpless boys.

"By the way, Cap" Anin started, looking at him. "I am curious, why does your body feel exactly the same as when it did eight years ago, or thirteen years ago? Its like no aging at all happened".

"Its complicated" Azalen mentioned, when he stopped Anin and himself. "I sense a powerful magic power approaching".

"And I sense Bael nearby!"

"...I dont know how you lost weapons that you yourself can create..."

"The guy is coming even closer!"

"Yeah, I se..." Azalen started, when he pushed Anin out of the way and avoided a hit himself. At the same time, there was a man holding a long thick jagged butcher knife made of specially infused silver that resembled more of a Greatsword. However, that was not what concerned Azalen the most...it was the fact that on his face, there was a Demon Mark and it had clearly activated across his body.

Azalen quickly moved above, floating in the air above him.

"What the...Anin?"

"Ummm...not sure why this is happening".

"Anin..."

"Maybe...that time we slayed some demons running amok, some of the blood got on it or something and caused a spirit to possess it or something?"

"...right".

"Aww...your mad...you want to punish me, play with me in chains a little?"

"...I litterally work with perverts and weirdos" Azalen said. "Chroma, First Form, and...Razorwind!"

Chroma attacked in spear form and went after the man with the Demon mark, while Anin moved in himself.

"Anin Super Punch!" he shouted as he punched the man in the stomach. Some damage was clearly dealt though, which was good. "Hey! I dont think he is a full fledged Demon person!"

"So, your weapon is possessing him!"

"Maybe its too powerful for him to handle?"

"Probably" Anin mentioned as the Demon appeared behind him. Anin however blocked it with one hand, and then flipped him over.

"I wonder if I should go full power..." Anin mentioned.

"Please don't. Not until we get you some clothes that will survive it".

"Awww..."

Azalen manipulated the spear with his fingers, when suddenly the demon appeared next to him.

"Oh look! A tasty little treat! Must consume!"

"Fast!"

Azalen barely dodged as the Demon tried to cut him in half.

"Did he...speed up?"

"His abilities...they are fluxtuating. He randomly gets stronger and weaker!"

"Must...consume...Spirit Energy!"

"Cap! He seems to think you are a meal!"

"DIEDIEDIE!"

"So, thats the game huh?" Azalen mentioned, as he had his spear block the next attack.

"YOU CANNOT STOP US! YOU CANNOT STOP THE FUTURE!"

And then, he appeared right next to Azalen...when Azalen grabbed the weapon right from his hand, as he turned transparent. Suddenly, the creature who appeared human was smashed into the ground and pinned there by an overwhelming telekinetic power.

"Cap?" Anin asked as Azalen floated into the ground.

"Tell me, who created you...homonculus".

Yes, the true origin of their attacker was a homonculus.

"Wait...are you sure Cap?"

"Yeah...its power levels are fluxuating. It has demon power, but not used to it" Azalen said. "This thing was sent out here to hunt us. It seems we have picked up some attention".

As he said that, he drove Chroma into it...and obliterated it completely. Anin was a bit shocked for a change, because whatever it was, it spooked Azalen enough to fight seriously, and end the fight in an instant. Even Anin couldn't always do that when they fought in practice, it was a truly rare sight.

"You okay, Cap?"

"Yeah...lets just get out of here, I could use a nap".

And with that, the case of the Serial Killer ended with more questions then answers.

* * *

**AN:** Moral of the story? Dont leave your powerful super weapons laying around and lose them. Also, now the Sin count is up to three...but something seems to have Azalen nervous? And it appears the epic fighting is picking up!


	6. Chapter 6: The Next Step

**Chapter 6: The Next Step**

"Well now, what will we do about this?" one Holy Knight questioned, looking over the incident reports. Multiples of them, from all across the region. "It seems they have started to move finally, after eight years of silence and rumors".

"I do believe we should act quickly, and with extreme prejudice" another Holy Knight mentioned, as she looked at her sword. "Such traitors to the realm must be brought down as soon as possible, and it should be done by some of our best".

"So us then?" a smaller Holy Knight mentioned, looking at his greataxe that had a blade on each end, at opposite sides. "After all, other Holy Knights, weaker then us, have failed. And unlike them, we have someone who has had experience fighting them. Isn't that right, Holy Knight Gira?"

The trio of HOly Knights turned and looked at the girl who stood there, wearing her armor. Holy Knight Gira, the young and promising Holy Knight who clashed with the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Sin of Sloth, Azalen.

"I only faced the one, but he held strength and power that rivaled some of the Grand Masters it felt. Yet, I felt like he also could not make full use of it. Is it possible that wherever he has been left him weakened?"

"Hmmm, that is a good question, but it is also good to know he has been weakened. That improves our odds greatly, even with two other Sins there. Furthermore, we know that the Sin of Pride is missing two of his Sacred Treasures, one of them being kept in Skytower, the other in the Royal Vault".

"And the final one?"

"...unknown. No one can really remember them clearly".

"So then, we have one unknown, the Captain, and the Sin of Pride. How much do we know about them?"

"The Captain was a famous slacker, apparently. Often sleeping in, only showing up when it was absolutely vital. Supposedly there was one or two other sins around involved in keeping him active enough to do his job. He once attended royal court in pyjammas. That said, it was considered that pushing him too far, in making him active, was a bad idea. Then there is the Sin of Pride. Anin. ALso appearing as a young boy, he was entirely shameless. He once went to a royal knighting ceremony completely naked, drank a bunch of booze with their captain, and then they were both found naked and asleep in the king's bed".

"Wait, are they..."

"No, Anin is just like that, and in his drunk state, the Captain did not want to deal with the hassle of cleaning his own clothes if he threw up".

"Seriously?"

"Like I said, unreasonably lazy".

"Are the rest of the sins all this unstable?"

"Oh no, these are the tame ones. Well, Anin can get murderous sometimes, but...there are others who are far more bloody. Such as the Sin of Wraith, Seth".

"Then, it is wise in our decision. We shall move out, and eliminate them immediately. Thankfully, something has happened recently we can make use of".

* * *

"You know, we can bathe ourselves" Azalen mentioned as they walked down a path, wearing their normal traveling clothes. They were currently heading south, towards hte center of the region, as Azalen figured they would encounter the others more easily that way. Though, he seemed to be protesting a little.

"COme on, Cap!" Anin said as he ran over to him and drooped his arm around Azalen's shoulder. "We both know its way more fun to bathe with friends anyways!"

Anin was wearing some black trousers that cut off above the knees, he had no shoes, preferring to leave them bare, additionally, he has no undershirt and choose to cover his chest in bandages and a red tattered scarf. He would normally wear a black jacket with fur lining as well, but it was extremely hot that day and he didn't feel like wearing it.

"And I still think..."

"No, Anin" Azalen mentioned. "We want to avoid the Holy Knights attention. So we wont walk naked".

"Fine...but what abou..."

"No, we will not pretend to be a traveling circus either".

"COuld we..."

"No, I wont freeze the entire region. I jsut said we are trying to avoid attention!"

"Fiiine..." he said, as he then looked over at Zaylen. "But then, I can check him out right?"

"Dont go too far".

"Yaaay!"

"Wait, what? What did he mean by that? What did you mean?"

"Ah don't worry, you will be fine. Probably. Anin, try to remember to untie him when you are done".

"Kaaaay".

"Wait, wait?! What?!"

"Don't worry, he has zero interest in doing anything perverted. He is totally innocent!"

"Though I am curious about how you will react to various things".

"Eh?! Ehhhhhhhh?!"

Maria then walked up to Azalen as they walked.

"Alright, so, what is your real plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"There is no way you would come up with searching and wandering on your own, not unless something was driving you. No, by all rights you should have just sat down in the town where you sent up that huge beacon, and then waited for all of us".

"If I did that, I would get attacked by Holy Knights all the time. It would be bothersome".

"Uh huh...so what is your real reason?" Maria asked, trying to make Azalen forget his suspicion...but it failed.

"That is my real reason" he said, though Maria did not believe it. Something did not quite add up to her. Normally, she might just give him a bath, make him do chores, or some sort of threat to make him speak honestly, but...whatever secret he was keeping was compelling him to be more active, so that wouldn't really work.

The Captain had secrets, everyone knew that. But no one was really sure what those secrets were, or how much of an impact they would have.

And then, as they were thinking that, a flier flew over and hit Azalen right in the face.

"...what the..." he said as he picked it up, only to see what the content was. It said Sin of Wraith, captured and being put on display at Kairo Village, by the HOly Knights that captured him.

He then showed the picture to the others.

"...its a trap" Maria pointed out.

"Its completely a trap, Cap!" Anin added.

"Even I can tell its clearly a trap" Zaylen concluded.

"Oh good, so we are all clear on the fact its a trap right?"

"""Naturally""".

"So, what are we going to do then?"

"Well, on the off chance it is Seth, I suppose we should go and see".

"So we are going to have some sort of super complicated plan to scout it out?"

"Will we have the three of you dress up as girls and infiltrate the village like that?"

"Are we going to slaughter everyone who gets in our way?"

"Uhhhh...I have a plan. Its fine, everything will be good" Azalen said, looking off to the side. "I will tell you it when we get there though, in case I need to iron out any details based on what we notice along the way".

* * *

"So, that was the Sin of Wraith, Seth the Bloody?" one Holy Knight said to another as they closed a dark cage. "To think they went so far to contain him".

"Well, admittedly, I heard it took quite a bit of effort. But then, a Holy Knight ended up falling right on top of him by surprise. And she even survived, apparently after beign blasted away by a powerful opponent".

"Really, who?"

"Some Holy Knight named Gira".

"Gira sounds dangerous, and sturdy, to do something like that".

That was when the three stepped outside, and saw a half naked Half Seraphim man stuck in magical stockades, held in place by High Level Quanentine Spell Beads. They would prevent him from moving an inch. Right now, a crowd of villagers was being allowed to vent their frustrations out on him, the Holy Knights using Seth as a symbol for all their anger and rage. Blaming all the problems on them.

And as they approached, the female Holy Knight in question, Gira, walked over to them.

"Have you secured the area?"

"Yes, Lady Gira".

"Good. Also, I have not seen any children in the crowd yet..."

"Well, he is one of the Sins. We didn't want to risk it".

"And the bonds? Do we think they may not hold?"

"I was told to be prepared for anything and everything. In case of a sudden attack, we are to be prepared. We have magic barriers all around the perimeter, and we are fully mobilized. The moment they launch an attack, we will know about it! We have countless guards manned at the gate as well!"

"I see...you did alert them to what they looked like?"

"Of course!" he said, when suddenly knocking could be heard from the gate. "Ah, that must be our scouts, having returned from their mission".

As he gave an order, the gate was then pulled open by two soldiers...and they saw the one standing there.

"Yo!" Azalen said with a smile as he waved his hand. The two guards who were standing at attention also looking shocked. "I think you have something of mine, I have come to pick it up!"

Several Holy Knights realized who it was instantly.

"Its him! Its the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins! Attack now, kill him before he strikes!"

However, Gira noticed something odd.

"Wait! Don't do it! He is already..."

However, as Azalen snapped his fingers, all of the Holy Knights went flying.

"What, Gira-chan?" he asked with an innocent smile.

_Just as I thought...he is already awake!_

"Harmonious Seal!"

"Paralysis Arrow!"

"Intense Gravity!"

Suddenly, he was hit with the combined magical power of three Holy Knights. His power being sealed, an arrow grazing him and paralyzing him, and gravity being increased upon him by a lot.

"Ha. Even if you seem more awake and alert today, you cant possibly hope to overcome us all".

"We are the ultimate capture squad. Our combination is able to capture anyone, even a member of the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"You are powerless before us".

"Wait, no...his Sacred Treasure isn't..."

Suddenly, as the three Holy Knights who seemed to be in charge came out, a spear knocked into all of them and sent them flying, while a second spear cut across the Spell Fields and neutralized them, letting him stand up despite the paralysis.

"I see...I was curious how you captured Seth, but now I understand. As a Half Seraphim, he would naturally be affected more by Gravity, and paralysis would hurt his ability to attack with his wings. And then with abilities being sealed, that would probably capture a great deal of us. Anin?"

"Hmmm...I gotta say, I wouldn't be phased by the Paralysis or the gravity" a young boy said as he walked through the gate, carrying two unconscious guards behind him and throwing them on the ground.

"You are all so amazing...and scary..." Zaylen said, toting his own two guards. He was not as powerful as the rest of them, but he was easily in an above average class of his own.

"I think I am fairly normal" Maria mentioned...

_Not personality wise!_

The three of them thought that, while Maria saw Seth. "...who the fuck did this to him?"

Suddenly, the four of them were being pelted by rotton tomatoes and other things, including rocks, by the villagers.

"This is your doing!"

"You are the people making our children suffer!"

"Our crops are weaker thanks to you!"

As those words were spoken, Zaylen went over to Azalen.

"What are they talking about?"

"Hmm...according to the Spirits of this land, it seems there is something interfering with the crops, making it hard to pay their taxes and...oh. So its that..."

"Its what?"

"Someone seems to have stuck their sword into the ground, and charged it with mana to seal the crops in this region".

"Wait wait, so someone did this to them?"

"Yeah...by the way" Azalen started, as a huge rock smashed into Zaylen's head and crumbled. "I know how I am protecting myself, but how are you standing there unphased?"

"Oh, I wrapped myself in a thin Ark Barrier. Notice how I am glowing slightly?"

"Ah ah, cool".

"Captain...can you please fucking save Seth already?"

"Why do I have to? He could easily break that barrier himself!"

"He is probably paralyzed and sealed".

"Ooohhh...speaking of which".

The group looked over at the HOly Knights who had once again stood up and head their bearings straight.

"You will regret giving us the time to heal! Mind Seal!"

Suddenly, Azalen felt affected in a different way.

"We have now sealed your mind inside its own body, and made you unable to...gah?!" The Holy Knight said as she was sent flying after being hit with the spear.

"These guys seem pretty smart, but...they dont really seem to get your Magic Power or abilities, do they Cap" Anin said, as he looked over at Seth. "I wonder what they did to him?"

"I have some idea" Azalen said, standing up again. "Damnit...she totally made my brain reset and such. How annoying".

"You know how to fix Seth?" Maria asked.

"Of course. Its really obvious to me, the Captain, waht they did. They sealed him inside his own mind, probably a loop of his worst moments of his life" Azalen replied, as he walked over to the stockhold and leaned in to whisper something into Seth's ear.

As he did, Anin noticed a reaction. "Oh! Whatever Cap said got a reaction".

"What? You sure?"

"Yeah, he just got really aroused physical..."

And then in that instant, Seth seemed to move as he broke out of the restraints like they were nothing, while another Holy Knight came to slash at them both. Azalen however knocked him away with his spear.

And then, Seth punched Azalen in the face and sent him flying into the mud.

"What was that for?!"

"For taking so long to wake up, you idiot!"

"Oh come on! What I said was not a lie!"

"Haaaaaa? I think I would know notice if someone had been in love with me, and remember it happening!"

"The...Seth, what do you remember?"

"...thats not the point..."

"I knew it! You are missing a huge chuck of your memories, aren't you! From the day everything went to hell right? What else! Because I know you should rembmer other things!"

"Stop screwing around, Captain! I would totally remember that! Yeah, I am missing a lot, but I would remember someone being in love with me!"

"Haaaa? Damnit, I knew you were oblivious..."

"Me? You are the lazy one! How many girls hit on you, how many female Holy Knights, hit on you? But all you could do was have your little crush, just because one girl's spirit supposedly indicated she was your soul mate!"

"Shut up and die!" Gira shouted, finally getting her own hit in and striking Azalen's back while another Holy Knight came to strike Seth. Seth got knocked into the nearby building, while Azalen grabbed Gira and flung her...very far away. Then he turned back to the other guy who was swinging his sword down at him, and knocked him away with his Spear.

And then, Seth burst out of the building he was knocked into.

"See! You are so lazy! We could have hit each others targets, but you instead just defend yourself and let me get hit!"

"Wow...are you done?"

The final Holy Knight left standing came back at them, but was then knocked out from behind by Anin.

"No! Next time, dont nap for eight years!" Seth shouted, as he started taking deep breaths. "Okay, now I am done".

Zaylen meanwhile stared at them in disblief.

"Did they...did they argue while defending against Holy Knights, or did they fend off Holy Knights while arguing?"

"Whichever one has arguing as the first and main action" Maria said, as Azalen walked over to one of the weaker HOly Knights.

"Where are they?"

"Please, jsut let us go! We have not hurt anyone!"

"Where. Are. They".

"But how do..."

"Tell me where they are, or I will let Anin run his playful experiments on you".

Anin then approached holding a dagger while having a childish yet evil expression.

"HIIIIII! In the back, in the back!"

Azalen then threw him through the door, walking through the now open hole himself. He passed the various cowering Knights as if they were nothing, and approached the back room, kicking the door wide open.

Seth meanwhile went towards Maria.

"Umm, do you know what..." Seth started, when Maria went and kissed him right on the lips.

"I am so happy you are okay".

"Ahh...hmm...that feels really nice...anyways, do you know what is going on here?"

"Something seems to have pissed the Captain off. He was calm as we were heading here, but once we made it to the village, he seemed really pissed off about something" Maria told him, grabbing hold of his hand.

"Ah..." he said as they walked in behind him, while Azalen cut open a bunch of cages. And as light poured into them, they saw children, shackled up and naked, ready for transport.

"Oi oi, this is becoming a pattern, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"I was listening in as I approached, with help from the Spirits. I heard Gira speak about the lack of children in the crowd, and for some reason they blamed us for their children suffering. Its the same as that one place...I am not sure why, but all the signs indicate that Children are being abducted, and whoever is doing it doesn't seem to care about feelings, emotions, or humanity. And at this level...whatever is going on can't be good".

Azalen then looked south again.

"Now Maria, I leave Seth to you to have him explain how he got caught".

"Ah ah wait! Azale...ow ow ow!" Seth said, as he tried to get away by was caught by an ear pinch.

"Don't worry Seth, I am sure you will remember everything for me".

"...I feel like the Sins only get crazier and crazier from here...".

"And that makes it more fun!"

And so, the Sin Count went up to four.

* * *

**AN:** Seth is in trouble! Think he forgot something important? Either way, seems very susipcious!


End file.
